Ryan Cohlhepp
2025 Distinguished Pharmacy Alumni Awardee
Ryan Cohlhepp
President and COO, Bicara Therapeutics
My pharmacy education gave me an incredible foundation which has allowed me to flex across multiple dimensions in the pharmaceutical industry. My Purdue Pharmacy education not only gave me a deep technical and therapeutic foundation but probably even more importantly it helped me build the skills on how to continue learn and develop which has been invaluable.
PharmD 2000, Purdue University
- Taking my current company, Bicara Therapeutics, public and listing it on NASDAQ.
- Getting approvals and leading the commercial launch of multiple new oncology drugs.
- Incubating and being a founding executive of a biotech company focused on autoimmune diseases.
- Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for MMRF with a group which included individuals being actively treated for multiple myeloma with drugs that I helped develop.
- Recognition by Pharma Voice as one of the 100 Most Inspiring Leaders.
Ryan brings to Bicara over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry, driving early-stage drug development to commercial success. Prior to Bicara, Ryan was a founding executive of Rheos Medicines, an immuno-metabolism company launched by Third Rock Ventures. Previously, Ryan held multiple roles in both the R&D and Commercial organizations at Takeda including leading the company’s commercial oncology portfolio in the U.S. which included four approved compounds across both hematological and solid tumors.
An endurance athlete with a commitment to bringing transformative and life-extending therapies to cancer patients, he has worked with the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, having summitted the renowned 19,341 foot Uhuru Peak on Mount Kilimanjaro to encourage patient advocacy and raise funds for multiple myeloma research.
Ryan holds his Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University where he continues to hold an appointment on the Dean’s Advisory Council.